Loew calls for stern action on drug cheats
| GERMANY | MEXICO |
Footballers who are guilty of doping should be named and punished, Germany coach Joachim Loew said yesterday after Fifa said it was investigating allegations concerning Russian footballers.
"I want those organisations that are permanently testing us at training camps and during the games and before to give us the names. I want to have the names," Loew said before his team face Mexico in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup tomorrow morning (Singapore time).
"Please, if these allegations can be proven, if the names are really there - they should not be hidden at all.
"If there is something to it, make it public and, if players have doped, well, they have to be suspended."
Fifa said on Sunday that it was investigating allegations that footballers were among the Russian athletes who were involved in or benefited from an elaborate state-sponsored doping scheme.
The world football governing body, however, did not confirm a report in Britain's Mail on Sunday newspaper that the 23 members of Russia's squad at the 2014 World Cup were among those being investigated.
Russia has dismissed the allegations.
Meanwhile, the Germans are expecting a tough match against Mexico's comeback kings tomorrow morning.
The Mexicans came from behind in all three of their group matches, beating New Zealand and Russia 2-1 after drawing 2-2 with Portugal, when they twice equalised.
"It will be aggressive in a positive sense, it is how they have been playing for years," said Loew of Mexico. "They hunt the ball with all their players and, when they have it, they play it deep quickly."
Mexico and Bayer Leverkusen striker Javier Hernandez said: "We know about the things that could make them suffer, but we are going to focus on our team and our tactics." - AFP
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